Heart Shaped Box
by roxannescharf
Summary: As Scorpius and Albus grow up, they realize similarities that they have to two people from Harry's past. They need to decide how deeply these similarities run, and if history is bound to repeat itself. SMxAP, RLxSB,and some RWxSM
1. Chapter 1

*I don't own anything.

"Suddenly there he was, silvery black and white  
The bluest magical eyes staring right into mine  
Never ever had I seen in a wolf, such a beautiful beast" –King Diamond, House of God

(-)Chapter One: Preface

Scorpius Malfoy had caused his parents grief for as long as he could remember, and tonight would be no different. As the blade made an indentation in his skin, Scorpius wished he could slow down, and be a little less crazy. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to forget about the pain.  
Throughout his life, he had been to quite a few psychiatrists, and he came to realize that they knew nothing. They had blindly thrown a diagnosis at him, and explained to his parents that the endorphins resulting from the cutting was what kept him going. Endorphins meant little to Scorpius; he hated the pain more than anything, and got no relief from it. Still though, no psychiatrist could explain it, no healer or drug could make it go away.

Deep down, Scopius knew why he made the cuts. It wasn't a cry for attention, and the pain didn't give him any relief. In fact, Scorpius hated cutting. It was always the scars he was after, because without scars, he didn't feel like himself.  
He had tried to explain this to his parents, but they seemed much more satisfied with what the doctors and healers had decided. To them, their son had an addiction to endorphins, and needed to be medicated. Scorpius took his medications diligently, and tried to hide the scars as best he could.  
His mother, Virginie, had cried when she first found out, and this hurt Scorpius most of all. Only ten years old, and already exhibiting symptoms of depression. He wasn't depressed, and he didn't understand why his parents couldn't see that. He was rarely upset, and he got along well with most children his age.  
His father was also quite upset and worried with the news, which was generally uncharacteristic of his father. Draco was not very talkative, nor did he usually show much emotion. If anything, taking Scorpius to therapy was one of the first times he became aware of his father's love for him. Scorpius didn't benefit from seeing the weakness in his father, the once strong roll model reduced to nothing because of him.

Scorpius heard the bathroom door creep open, and tried to hide the blade and the bleeding gash on his shoulder.  
"Oh, I didn't think anyone was in here," said his mother in her slight French accent apologetically. She smiled good-naturedly, and then froze upon seeing his shoulder. "No," she said, "please, don't tell me you've started again. Scorpius…"  
Scorpius' stomach was in knots, and he felt his face heat up, "It's not what it looks like, mom, I… I fell."  
His mother looked him in the eyes, and he saw the anger and pain in them. She ignored what he had said, and immediately started yelling for his father.  
Scorpius looked down in shame, "mom… don't call dad," he said softly.  
His father's footsteps were coming up the stairs, and this made his heart beat faster. His mother had closed her eyes, and it looked like she was holding back tears.  
Panic was flowing through Scorpius, and the days spent with therapists came back to him in a flash. His world was moving both too quickly and too slowly all at once. "Please," he whispered, "please don't tell dad."

(-)

Dinner was eaten in silence. Scorpius held his head down in shame, Virginie held back tears, but Draco appeared to be relatively undisturbed. "Your letter for Hogwarts came today," he said nonchalantly.  
Scorpius continued to move his food around on his plate until the words clicked. For the first time since he had been caught, he looked his father in the eyes.  
Draco continued to eat his dinner, oblivious to his son's gaze. His mother broke the silence, "You're not suggesting sending him there, are you?"

Scorpius' heart started beating quickly again, "but… I want to go!" he blurted out.  
Seeming to ignore him, his mom continued, "He can't go in his condition. He hurts himself, doesn't seem to be getting better at all. He needs to stay with us so we can watch over him," his mother watched Draco, expecting an answer, "are you even listening?"  
Draco grunted in response, "I don't think we need to worry about that, Ginny. Hogwarts has good nurses and staff, if we told the headmaster of his condition, they'd monitor him. What I'm most concerned about is how the other children would treat him."  
Scorpius watched his parents argue, his eyes going back and forth, "what do you mean, dad?" he asked.  
Draco raised his eyes from his plate, "our family was a traitor in England. My family specifically, not your mother's. The children will know your last name, and treat you like a traitor."  
His mother put a hand on Draco's shoulder, and smiled gently at Scorpius, "you're so much safer in France. You can go to beauxbatons during the day, and come home each night."  
Scorpius didn't bother to hide the frown on his face, "I don't like beauxbatons, and I don't like speaking French."  
His father returned to eating quietly, and his mom tried to sound hopeful, "you'll find friends that speak English at school. It'll be okay, honey."  
"I've always wanted to go to Hogwarts."  
"Honey," his mother began, but Draco cut her off.  
"You can go then. Just be warned, they don't like Malfoys in England anymore."  
Scorpius couldn't hold in his smile, "I really want to, dad. Why don't they like our family though?"  
His mother shook her head across the table, but Draco answered anyway, "I told you, we're traitors. Your grandparents tried to help Voldemort's rise to power. You know that's why we're in exile."  
"But, grandpa's not in exile. Why are you?" Scorpius asked without thinking.  
"That's enough for tonight, Scorpius. Do you want to hear more about Hogwarts?"

(-)

"When Albus was a toddler, he tried to crawl away from the burrow during one of Molly's garden parties. Lucky Teddy caught him before he got too far," said Harry.  
His siblings and family members all laughed at the story. Albus could feel himself blushing. His mother, Ginny, walked in the room with his birthday cake. Eleven candles were burning on top, and his family started to sing.  
"Make a wish, Albus," said his father gently.  
'Don't let me be in Slytherin' he thought to himself as he blew out the candles. Ten of the eleven stopped burning.  
"That means Albus has a girlfriend!" exclaimed Lily.  
"What's her name?" asked James as he ruffled his brother's hair.  
Albus blushed again, and his grandmother fussed with fixing his hair. His mom started cutting the cake, and putting in on the paper plates.  
"You get the first piece," she said with a smile, and kissed him on the forehead, "happy birthday, sweetie."  
The group finished up the cake and told more embarrassing stories about how Albus would try to run off while he was growing up.  
It wasn't much of a joke to him, because frankly it scared him. The detail that Teddy and his parents left out of each story was that he only ever tried to escape during the full moon. Of course, Albus couldn't remember all the times it happened when he was a kid, but he knew that he still felt the need on those special nights. It was easier to forget about it now, but that didn't mean he didn't want to run away to the forest under the full moon.  
Maybe he was just weird, but he constantly wondered what he would find if he just gave into the need and ran. Would he become a werewolf? Would he meet someone?  
Next came time to open the presents. He got a new broom from his parents, a magic primer from his aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron ("for getting ahead in school"), some jokes and candies from his uncle George, and several other school supplies.  
After Albus finished opening his gifts, and had thanked all his relatives, he and his cousins went out to the quidditch pitch to try out his new broom. As usual, Albus, Lily, and Hugo were the chasers, Rose was the keeper, and James was the seeker (because his Aunt Hermione did not allow them to play with bludgers).  
Because there weren't enough players, the game deteriorated quite quickly. Hugo and Lily made too many goals on Rose, which upset her, James couldn't find the snitch, and Albus was too busy playing on his new broom. Eventually, Rose, James, and Albus landed on the ground to talk, and Lily and Hugo ran off to play auror and death eater.  
"What houses do you think we'll be in, Albus?" asked Rose.  
Albus thought for a moment, "you'll definitely be in Ravenclaw, and I'll be in Gryffindor."  
Rose smiled, seemingly pleased with his answer, "I hope so."  
"Yeah right," said James laughing, "Rosey will be in Hufflepuff, and Severus there will be in Slytherin."  
"That's not funny," cried Rose, "I'm smart enough to be in Ravenclaw, and brave enough to be in Gryffindor if I want."  
Albus sulked. He wanted to make his dad proud, but he didn't think he was brave enough for Gryffindor or smart enough for Ravenclaw. He didn't think he was ruthless either, so maybe he'd be in Hufflepuff. Maybe his dad wouldn't mind that…

"Earth to Slytherin," said James as he waved his hand in front of Albus, "you know I was kidding, right?"

Albus wasn't so sure.


	2. Chapter 2

"Your memory will haunt me till the day I die  
Just a shadow, a shadow of a man  
I'm just a shadow, a shadow of a man"

(-) Chapter Two: First Year

As Scorpius walked with his father through King's Cross Station, he did his best to drink in the scenery. He was surrounded by mostly muggles, but every so often he'd spot a wizard and their parents. He felt somewhat self-conscious, considering he knew that he had a bit of a French accent, scars on his arms and face, and different clothes than the English wizards. Without his father beside him, he'd be a mess.  
He looked up at his father in time to see him give a curt nod to another wizard. When Scorpius turned to look at the man, his heart instantly sped up, "is that… him?" he asked his father.  
"Calm down Scorpius," Draco said calmly.  
"You knew Harry Potter?" Scorpius exclaimed excitedly, "Were you friends at school?"  
Draco stopped walking, and pulled his son close enough to whisper, "We were enemies, so do not be surprised if his children treat you like an enemy. It would be wise to avoid them."  
The news excited Scorpius even more. He was proud of his father, and suddenly very interested in the history that he was never told, "why were you enemies?"  
Draco had already started walking again, "hush, son. I'm sure you'll know by the end of the week."  
He skipped beside his father for the rest of the way, trying not to smile too widely. When they finally passed the barrier, and loaded his luggage onto the train, his father pulled him into a hug. Draco hadn't hugged his son since he was an infant, so Scorpius was immediately taken off guard by the gesture.  
"Scorpius," said his father in a broken voice, "try not to think too poorly of your father. I regret my actions. Your mother and I love you very much."  
Draco let go of his son, and walked off without another word. He watched his father leave, still in shock.

(-)

Albus watched in surprise as his father shared a nod with a very pale-looking man, "Why is everyone looking at you, dad?"  
"They're looking at me, I'm famous" said Ron, cutting off Harry, "It's nearly eleven; you guys better get on board."  
Albus wasn't ready to go just yet. The thought had been bugging him since his birthday, "What if I'm in Slytherin?" he asked without thinking.  
Harry crouched down," then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us."  
Albus felt slightly reassured, and got onto the Hogwarts Express.

(-)

Albus and Rose ran through the train, looking for James. Rose slid open a compartment door, and found a pale looking blonde boy staring out the window. He turned to look at her as she was about to close the door again.  
"Sorry," she said shyly, "I'm looking for my cousin…"  
The blonde boy looked at her, not saying a word.  
"James Potter," said Albus, "do you know him by chance?"  
"Don't be stupid, Al, he's a first year," said Rose.  
"Sorry," he said, "um, what's your name? I'm Albus."

The blonde boy watched them, clearly more shy than Albus. He gave a weak smile and said his name was Scorpius.  
"Scorpius Malfoy?" asked Rose with a glare, "my dad warned me about you."  
Albus elbowed his cousin, giving the blonde boy an apologetic look, "she doesn't mean that," he said awkwardly, "see you at the sorting."  
He took Rose by the elbow and led her away from his compartment. Scorpius sighed and took out a book.

(-)

After a few compartments, Rose and Albus found the one with James. He was with four of his Gryffindor friends.  
"Oh, hi Albus, hi Rose," he said, sounding bored, "we're busy, and there's no room for both of you. Go make some friends of your own."  
"James, I'll tell your mom," threatened Rose.  
The older brother rolled his eyes, "fine, one of you can stay, just be quiet."  
Albus shared a look with Rose, annoyed at her behaviour "I'm going to go sit with that other boy, you can stay here."  
Rose made no motion to stop him, and instead sat next to one of her cousin's friends, "can I play?" she asked.  
Albus closed the compartment door and walked down the hall toward the nearly empty compartment. He opened the door, and found it empty save for a French muggle book. Albus sat down anyways, and started looking out the window at the scenery.  
After a few minutes, he heard someone say "oh."  
Albus turned around and saw the blonde boy known as Scorpio or something. He smiled, and said hello.  
"Do you want me to leave?" the boy asked.  
Albus looked at him in surprise, "no, I came back to sit with you."  
Scorpius gave him a worried look, and then sat opposite him next to his book, "your friend didn't seem to like me much."

Albus raised an eyebrow, "sorry, her dad isn't very nice to some people. My parents have never told me anything about Malfoys."  
"Were you looking for someone named Potter?" asked Scorpius shyly.  
Albus was confused, "yeah. That's my brother, James. He's not very nice."  
Scorpius fell silent for a moment, and then asked, "Is your dad Harry Potter?"  
"Yeah," replied Albus, "do you know my dad?"  
Scorpius bit his lip and shook his head, "my dad told me that when he went to school, he was enemies with your dad."  
Albus paused, "oh."  
"Does that mean we're enemies?"  
They didn't know which one of them asked the question, so neither of them responded. Albus looked out the window, and Scorpius stared at the cover of his book.  
"What house do you want," asked Albus, changing the subject.  
"Slytherin, I guess," replied Scorpius softly, "well, that's the one most of my family was in."  
"Most of my family was Gryffindor. I hope I am too."  
At that moment, it seemed to both of them that they were somehow destined to be enemies.  
"I'd like to be friends," said Scorpius softly, "I've never had a friend who was a wizard before."  
Albus looked up at him, but Scorpius didn't look up to meet his eyes, "Let's be friends then."

(-)

"Welcome to Hogwarts, I'm Professor McGonagall," said a rather elderly looking woman, "Before you first years can join the feast, we must first sort you into your houses."  
Scorpius tried to listen to the professor's speech, but Albus and his cousin were beside him talking loudly.  
"I don't know if I want Ravenclaw anymore. We can be in Gryffindor together…" droned Rose.  
After being in the great hall for several moments, some of the first years gasped. An old looking hat on a stool had begun to sing loudly:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, But don't judge on what you see, I'll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me. You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall, For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can cap them all. There's nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can't see, So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be. You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart; You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind; Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real friends, Those cunning folk use any means To achieve their ends. So put me on! Don't be afraid! And don't get in a flap! You're in safe hands (though I have none) For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

Rose jumped and clapped loudly, while Albus and Scorpius looked at the hat in awe. The professor began calling names in alphabetical order.  
"Hector Adams"  
The first year walked to the stool shyly, and the professor put the hat on his head. All eyes in the great hall were on the young boy, until the hat suddenly yelled "Slytherin!"  
The Slytherin table applauded and cheered loudly. Scorpius noticed that Rose had moved closer to him. He looked at her, and she smiled slyly, "I want James to see me with you."  
"Ben Grouts" announced McGonagall.  
"Oh…" said Scopius, "why does your family hate me?"  
"Andrea Jacobs." she announced.  
Rose spoke carefully, "because your dad and grandfather were death eaters. My dad doesn't forgive people easily. Don't worry about it though, if we become good friends, my family will like you."  
Scorpius nodded, "did my dad ever do anything bad?" he asked.  
Rose's eyes flashed, "I wouldn't know."  
"Scorpius Malfoy." called McGonagall.

Scorpius couldn't feel his legs as he walked up to the professor and the sorting hat. He sat down shakily, and McGonagall put the hat on his head. It weighed quite a bit more than he anticipated.  
"Hmm," said a voice in his ear, "I know your mind. Yes… we've met before."  
'When could we have met?'  
"Ah, that is the question. It doesn't matter, Scorpius, but I think you still belong in the same place."  
"Gryffindor!" yelled the hat.  
Scorpius stood up, as shaky as he felt before, and walked over to the cheering table. He sat down next to a redheaded boy who whispered, "not much of a Malfoy, eh?"  
Scorpius swallowed hard, and hoped that he wouldn't be sorted here alone.

(-) 

"Albus Potter!" yelled McGonagall, eyeing him proudly. Albus walked to the stool, trying not to move too quickly or awkwardly.  
This was the moment that it all came down to, and he hoped that he wouldn't be a Slytherin. He knew his father didn't care, but he wondered if maybe the rest of his family would.  
"Ah, it's been a while since I've seen a Potter," said the hat, "quite a lot to live up to, isn't there?"  
'I don't want to be in Slytherin.'  
"Well, that's familiar," laughed the hat, "but you aren't much of a Gryffindor anymore. Too many dark memories this time around."  
'What are you talking about?'  
The hat laughed, and then proceeded to yell "Slytherin!"  
Albus sat in shock, not wanting to get up. It seemed to him that the hall had gone silent, but he could see the Slytherin table clapping and welcoming him. Somehow, he managed to drag himself there and sit down. He looked longingly at the Gryffindor table, while Scorpius looked longingly at the Slytherin table. When their eyes met, they shared a slight smile.  
"Last but not least, Rose Weasley!"  
"Gryffindor!"  
Albus put his head in his hands.


	3. Chapter 3

"Make me a willow cabin at your gate,  
And call upon my soul within the house;  
Write loyal cantons of contemned love  
And sing them loud even in the dead of night;  
Halloo your name to the reverberate hills  
And make the babbling gossip of the air  
Cry out 'Olivia!' O, You should not rest  
Between the elements of air and earth,  
But you should pity me!"  
_Twelfth Night, 1. 5_

(-) Chapter Three – Fifth Year

The knock on the door sent Harry running to answer it. It was the last week of summer before the children returned to Hogwarts, so he and Ginny planned to let them have a celebration at the burrow. Teddy should be arriving any minute with Victoire.  
Harry pulled back the door, and was greeted with a very unaccommodating face, "Malfoy?"  
It took him a moment to realize that there were two of them, and that the younger one may one day become his nephew-in-law, "hi, Scorpius," he managed.  
"Hi, Harry," said Scorpius good-naturedly before walking past him into the burrow. This left Harry and Draco face to face alone.  
"Potter," started Draco coldly, "I came to let you know that Scorpius is here with my consent. I approve of his relationship with your… relative."

"Well," said Harry, confused, "I'm glad to hear it… Can I offer you a drink?"  
Draco rolled his eyes, and turned to leave. He gave Harry a curt nod before apparating back home.  
'That was weird' thought Harry.

(-)

All evening, Scorpius had noticed some odd behaviour coming from Albus. He was unusually quiet during dinner, and barely spoke to him at the bonfire. The thing that worried him the most was that no one else seemed to notice anything amiss.  
Rose put her head on his shoulder, "I've missed you these past weeks."  
Scorpius smiled down at his girlfriend and kissed her cheek. They hadn't seen each other since term ended, and that meant a very boring summer in France. At least Rose had all her relatives to keep her company.  
"I'm glad I'm not missing Albus' birthday this year," he said, "speaking of which… is something up with Albus?"  
Rose bit her lip, meaning that she knew, but wasn't supposed to say anything. Scorpius leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes.  
"Does he want to talk to me about it?"  
"You could ask him," suggested Rose, "you're one of his best friends, other than that Slytherin kid."  
Scorpius thought about it. He was enjoying the warmth of Rose and the fire, but she was starting to make the fresh wound on his side uncomfortable, "I'll go ask him, okay?"  
Rose nodded.

(-)

"Albus?" asked Scorpius while knocking on his door, "are you there?"  
He heard some moving noises inside, and then he heard Albus struggle with the lock on the door. He poked his head out, "what?"  
Suddenly, Scorpius felt nervous about what he was doing, "I think we should talk."  
Albus stared at him for a moment, "about what?"  
"Can we talk inside?"  
"Did Rose tell you to come find out?"  
Scorpius took in his expression, "I thought something seemed wrong today."  
Suddenly, the annoyance in Albus' face turned into sadness. He opened the door and let Scorpius in. He sat down on the bed opposite his friend.  
Albus took a deep breathe, "how far have you gone with Rose?"  
Scorpius' eyes widened in surprise, "what?" This was the last thing he expected to be asked by Albus tonight.  
"She's my cousin," he said, "I'm not being pervy or even thinking about Rose as Rose. Just… how far have you gone with any girl?"  
Because of the scars covering Scorpius' body, he could never take off his shirt for Rose. He wasn't self-conscious; he just didn't need someone else thinking he was depressed. Maybe someday he'd be able to do it in the dark…  
"Please?" asked Albus, "It's relevant, I swear."  
"Okay," relented Scorpius, "I've never taken off any clothing with a girl."  
"I have."  
Scorpius raised an eyebrow, "who?"  
"Girl in Slytherin, you wouldn't know her. We all got drunk after a quiddich game and played truth or dare in the common room."  
"Okay," said Scorpius, a bit uncomfortable.  
Albus took another really deep breathe. His friend stayed silent, waiting for him to talk. Scorpius was about to say something when Albus cut him off.  
"And… I didn't like it."  
His friend looked at him, dumbfounded, "you didn't like the girl?"  
Albus started to look really sad, "please don't hate me."

"What?" Scorpius replied, "Why would I?"  
"Because I'm gay."  
"Because you're gay?"  
Albus glared at the blonde boy, suddenly feeling exposed and defensive, "don't make fun of me."  
"Albus," he said, "I wasn't… just hasn't clicked."  
"Okay," replied the boy, his face going red, "let me help you, I like men. I like cocks."  
"Okay," said Scorpius, suddenly worried.  
"Okay?"  
"Yeah."  
"Okay."  
The two boys shared a tense look, both waiting for the other to respond.  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
Albus looked at his shoes, "maybe you should go to bed."  
Scorpius looked around, "we share a room."  
Albus' eyes widened, "still?" he questioned, "you don't mind?"  
"Well, yeah," he said calmly, "you're my friend. I don't mind if you're gay, I just wish you wouldn't be afraid to tell me."  
"Okay," Albus cracked into a wicked grin, "because you know you aren't pretty enough for me anyway."  
The blonde boy smiled back, "whatever you say." 

(-)

At about 2am that morning, Scorpius woke up very thirsty. He knew that he couldn't get back to sleep unless he got a drink quickly. He tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs toward the burrow's kitchen. As he crept down the stairs, he could make out whispers in the sitting room.  
"Harry, I know there's nothing I can do or say to fix this. I stole from you, and I feel horrible."  
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Teddy. You were a kid. I'm just glad that after all these years that you came forward to tell me the truth."  
"I'll never stop looking for your elder wand, Harry."  
Scorpius' face went red with the guilt of eavesdropping on such an important conversation. He knew that if he went back upstairs, he'd get caught.  
"Hello?" he said as loudly as he dared, "is someone down here?"  
The room was silent for a few seconds, and the Harry answered, "It's just Teddy and Harry, we couldn't sleep."  
Scorpius walked to the room, and waved shyly to Harry and his godson, "I was just coming down for a drink. I heard some whispers."  
When they didn't answer, Scorpius left the room in a hurry, and got himself a glass of water. He went back to the stairs and started the climb back to his room.  
"Scorpius," Harry said with and edge to his voice, "could you come here?"  
He swallowed in worry, but obeyed nonetheless. When he came into the sitting room, he noticed that the two men were looking at an old photo album.  
"What are you looking at?" he asked nervously.  
"Our parents," replied Harry, "they grew up together. Would you like to see?"  
Scorpius bit his lip, and sat on the sofa next to Harry. He made sure to give him as much space as possible. Harry opened the book so that they could both see, and pointed to a picture of a man with glasses and a woman with red hair.  
"Those are my mom and dad," he said gently.  
He flipped a page to a handsome black haired man and Scorpius' heart jumped, "do I know him?"

"He died before you were born," said Harry, "he was my godfather, Sirius Black."  
Scorpius suddenly felt very light-headed, and he wanted to leave.  
Harry flipped another page to a scarred young man, "This is Teddy's father" he said evenly.  
Scorpius absentmindedly traced a similar scar running down his jaw. He had made it when he was eight and blamed it on a bicycle accident.

(-)

That night Scorpius had a very strange dream.  
"I'm gay,' said a dark-haired boy with long hair.

"You already told me," replied Scorpius with a quirked eyebrow.  
"What are you talking about?" said the boy as his eyes shifted to an emerald shade of green.  
"You told me, Sirius."  
"You can't be serious. I haven't told you yet, Scorpius," he said with tears in his eyes, "did Rose tell you?"  
"My name isn't Scorpius… Who's Rose?"  
But he was Scorpius, wasn't he?  
"You're right, Moony," said Albus with eyes the shade of the inside of a cucumber, "I did tell you."  
"You did tonight, Albus, and its okay."  
"Sirius," the boy whispered, "not Albus. I didn't tell you…"

"Rise and Shine!" yelled Albus in an unnecessarily high pitched voice, "I'm finally out!"  
Scorpius pulled the pillow over his face to hide from the sunshine. Albus walked over to his bed pulled the pillow away from him.  
"God, Potter," said Scorpius in a very Malfoy voice, "do you ever rest?"  
"Come on, come on, it's going to be a great day," Exclaimed Albus as he pulled the covers off of his blonde friend.  
Scorpius gave him a dirty look, but stopped when he noticed Albus staring at him oddly.  
"Scorpius…" said Albus, "what happened?"

Scorpius looked down and noticed that his shirt was up, exposing his freshly cut up midsection.  
"Did your father do this to you?"  
Suddenly Scorpius was very upset, "my father would never hurt me, Albus!"  
"That's not what it looks like…" he said slowly, and then suddenly his expression changed, "why do you have so many scars?"

"It doesn't matter, Sirius," he said in a hurry, "just calm down. I'll explain it, okay?"  
"You're right, this is serious," Albus said, not taking his eyes off the cuts, "I'll get my dad."  
"Albus, no," he screamed, latching on to his friend's shirt, "just calm down."  
"Fine," he said, taking a breath, "you have ten seconds."  
Scorpius wasn't sure what came over him, but he said the first lie to come to him, "I'm a werewolf."

The rest of the week was a disaster for Scorpius. He knew that he had to tell Albus the truth, but he didn't know how. Luckily though, the full moon had already passed a few days before arriving at the burrow, so he didn't need to worsen the lie.  
Albus had promised not to tell anyone, and he was unnecessarily supportive toward Scorpius. It even got to the point where Lily was convinced that Albus had a crush on Scorpius. Luckily though, everyone put it out of their minds for Albus' fifteenth birthday.

(-)

Albus was torn on what to wish for this year. Part of him really wanted a boyfriend, and another part wanted to help his friend Scorpius the way his grandfather had helped his werewolf friend. He didn't know anything about becoming an animagus, but he vowed to research it as soon as he got back to school.  
"I hope I didn't spoil your birthday," said Scorpius, sneaking up behind him in their room.  
"Hey, you didn't," said Albus good-naturedly.  
"There's something I need to tell you," he said, "but I don't know how. Its hard,"  
Scorpius put his hand on Albus' shoulder. The contact made Albus tingle, considering Scorpius was very attractive other than all the scars. It was unusual for him to be touched by a male other than James.  
"You can tell me," said Albus, his pulse quickening.  
"I don't know if I can."  
Albus felt his pulse quickening. He wanted a boyfriend, did he want Scorpius? Did Scorpius want him?  
"What are you afraid of?" he asked.  
There was a knock at the door, and Lily and Hugo burst in, each carrying a gift. Scorpius took his hand off Albus' shoulder, and sat down on the bed.  
"What's all this?" asked Albus with a smile on his face.  
Hugo and Lily were both going into third year, which meant that they were starting to develop an attitude. Albus reached for a gift, but Lily held it away from him.  
"Nope, we came up to get you for grandma. Hurry downstairs."  
Lily and Hugo left, followed by Scorpius who was suddenly in a hurry.

(-)

Wendy Feng and Jonah Pratt, two Slytherins, had just arrived at the burrow for Albus' birthday. Harry looked around the room, seeing not only the faces of his family, but also the face of a Malfoy, two Slytherins, and Hugo's Hufflepuff friend. He was proud to know that his children weren't biased the way he was.  
"Make a wish, Albus," he said gently to his son.

(-)

Albus watched Scorpius holding Rose in his arms, and felt both guilt and jealousy. It felt natural to fall for Scorpius, but he wished he could stop himself for both his and Rose's sakes.  
'I wish,' he thought, 'for everything to work out.'


	4. Chapter 4

"Remember yesterday,  
walking hand in hand.  
Love letters in the sand,  
I remember you.  
Through all the sleepless nights,  
through every endless day,  
I'd want to hear you say,  
'I remember you.'" –Skid Row

(-) Chapter Four – Sixth Year

"The best part of the Tri Wizard cup is going to be the winter ball," announced Rose.  
"Speak for yourself," said James.  
"My parents tried to make me go to beauxbatons."  
The trio all laughed at Scorpius' outburst. Since it was the beginning of November, the air was chilly in the courtyard, and everyone was bundled up. A Slytherin was walking toward them, waving.  
"Hi Albus," said Rose, "do you have a date for the ball yet? It's next week."  
Albus smiled slightly, "nope. No one wants to go with me."  
James and Rose laughed, throwing in comments. Scorpius furrowed his brow in concern.  
"Who've you asked?" he asked gently.  
"Every gay guy but you," Albus said with a smirk.  
His brother laughed loudly, and high fived him.

(-)

In the hours before the ball, Scorpius was borrowing Albus' potions text book to study in the library. He didn't do very well on his last exam, but that was because someone had stolen his book. As he flipped through the pages, he came across a piece of scrap paper with two very different scrawls.  
The first of them, in what Scorpius imagined was Albus' handwriting, said "if he didn't have a girlfriend, do you think he'd go to the ball with me?"  
The second, in a loopy cursive scribble read, "Sorry, don't think so. It's not like he's dating someone you aren't close to, even if he is gay."

(-)

Scorpius met Lily, his fake date, in the common room. She had bribed him into taking her so she could attend the ball, since she was only in fourth year. She was wearing a green gown, which contrasted with her hair. It was hard to decide whether she or Rose was prettier, but Scorpius liked to think that Rose was the better looking of the two.  
Rose was dressed in a short dark blue dress, which matched Scorpius' tux. He hoped that Albus wouldn't look too out of place with the white suit he had prepared for the occasion.  
They gathered together to make their way to the great hall. When Lily moved to grab his arm, Scorpius caught a glare from Rose. He made sure to take her in his other arm for good measure, which seemed to irk Lily.  
Albus met them with his friend and her date. The Slytherins didn't seem particularly friendly to them, but Scorpius did his best to ignore them.  
"Its nice that you make sure to light yourself up like that, Albus," said Lily jokingly, "that way no one will think you're straight for a second."  
Albus glared at her, but didn't retort. Directing his attention to Rose and Scorpius, he complemented them on their attire.  
"You look good," said Rose good-naturedly, "too bad you don't have a nice date."  
"Yeah," Albus replied, blushing, "guess I'm unlucky."  
Lily furrowed her brows in defiance, "He's lying," she said, "he had two boys ask him. They just weren't who he wanted."  
Albus looked at her angrily, "alright," he said, "Since Lily's being such a bitch, you guys should know that there was someone I wanted to go with, but he's not gay."  
Scorpius looked down at his feet, feeling guilty for reading the note. He hoped that Albus wasn't upset, "I saw the note in your textbook," he admitted.  
The dark haired boy went pale, but Lily cut in, "look, the dance is starting, can't we all argue inside?"

"Who do you think Albus likes?" asked Rose during a slow song with Scorpius. Many other students were on the dance floor, chatting quietly while swaying. The decorations in the great hall were exceptional, and the lighting was dim enough to create a romantic effect.  
"A Slytherin, maybe," he said honestly, "why don't you ask him?"  
"He wouldn't tell me, but I bet Lily would tell you."  
"Bribing her would be so not worth it," Scorpius said with a laugh.

(-)

The train from Hogwarts arrived at King's cross station on Christmas Eve, and Harry and Hermione were there to greet them. As James and Hugo got off the train, their relatives rushed to greet them with the usual displays of affection. Rose and Lily ran off next to hug their parents, followed by Albus. Scorpius got off quietly and tried to suppress how out of place he was feeling.  
Luckily though, Hermione stepped forward to give him an awkward one-armed hug, "we're glad to have you with us this year," she said politely.  
Harry smiled at him from behind his overly excited relatives, and the blonde boy smiled back. His parents would have preferred he visit them in France for Christmas, but he had insisted on spending it with his friends this year. He would have plenty of time to see Draco and Virginie before New Years.

The group gathered together and started to move towards the exit. With Rose on his arm, and Albus at his side, Scorpius felt ready to face whatever it was that the holidays held for him.  
Dinner with the Potters/Weasleys was as always a good experience, leaving Scorpius to feel less out of place. James always kept up the conversation, and he was rarely not surrounded by his friends. After dinner, James began spreading the word that tonight the adults would be getting quite drunk. Being the Gentleman he was, he passed the invitation on to Scorpius, Albus, and Rose. Lily and Hugo were however sent to bed before the drinking began.  
Harry and his many guests, including a muggle named Dudley, stayed mostly in the dining room. They talked loudly, and laughed more and more as the evening went on. The house began filling with cigar smoke and the scent of liquor.  
James was drinking in the living room at a faster pace than any of the others. Around midnight, he suggested playing Quiddich outside. Rose agreed, and the four of them made their way to a crudely built pitch.  
Knowing in his gut what a bad idea it would be, Scorpius sat on the sidelines while his drunken friends bobbed along and frequently dropped the quaffle. It was hard to get James to stop giggling long enough to shoot, and Rose had trouble staying in her position.  
Albus was unsteady on his broom, and not after long, the group demanded he stop playing. They didn't want to lose their drinking privileges because of him getting hurt.  
"Why didn't you play?" he asked, sitting on the grass next to Scorpius.  
He tried to explain that he wasn't crazy for Quiddich on a good day, but he forgot the point of his statement while speaking.  
"I think Lily wants you," Albus said.  
"She's like, 10."  
"No, she's fourteen, I think. She's just wants to take you from Rose," he slurred, "but she also might think you were pretty as her date to the ball."  
Scorpius glanced at Albus, "pretty? I thought only girls were supposed to be called pretty."  
Albus laughed hard, patting Scorpius on the back, "guys are pretty sometimes. Except for you, you're pretty all the time."

Scorpius hiccupped, his mind hazy. He was glad that he hadn't drunk as much as Albus and James.  
"You know that I know you're pretty, right?" Albus said, his eyes staring at the sky, "like, you're not with Rose because you don't know I love you?"  
Scorpius felt dizzy, and looked at the dark haired boy, "what did you say?"  
Albus smiled, "You know, I love you. But I know that you don't feel the same, coz if you did, you wouldn't be with Rosie."  
Suddenly Scorpius had chills, and his heart was beating quickly, "I didn't know."  
"Oh," Albus said, "I'm tired."  
"I should drink more."  
"Nah. You don't need to get drunk. You're like, great the way you are. You're like, the only one."  
"Only one?" Scorpius asked, his brows furrowed.  
"Only one for me."  
Scorpius stood up, and walked to the house. His head spinning, he downed more booze, hoping not to throw up. Staggering up the stairs, he managed to get to his room before blacking out.

Scorpius woke up with a hangover on Christmas morning. Albus was on the floor beside him, still fast asleep. Without knowing why, Scorpius moved closer to him. His mind wasn't awake enough to think properly.  
"Albus," he said, nudging his friend.  
Albus grunted, but didn't open his eyes. Scorpius' heart sped up. He admired how tan and smooth the dark haired boy's skin was, and how nice his features were together.  
"Merry Christmas, Albus," he muttered, his heart running a mile per minute.  
Scorpius' lips met his friend's gently. Albus made a noise of surprise, and then started to respond. The dark haired boy's arms wrapped around Scorpius' shoulders, which allowed him to deepen the kiss.  
Scorpius felt electricity and adrenaline flow through his body, and he moved his arms so that he was pining Albus to the ground.  
It would have been perfect had Rose not walked in on them.

(-)  
As he ran down the hallway, he couldn't feel his feet hitting the ground. Albus was dizzy from the kiss, and also dizzy from his hangover. He was worried about Rose, and confused about what was happening, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to regret it.  
"Rosie," he said, as he ran up to her in the hallway. Her eyes looked bloodshot, or at least teary. She glared at him with a fury he was not used to.  
"What in hell was that, Albus?" Rose yelled, "Was he drunk? Were you drunk? You let my boyfriend cheat on me with you. Don't you care about me?"  
"Last night I told him I loved him," he said, finally feeling some guilt, "I think he was taking pity on me."  
"Pity doesn't involve tongue," she spat.

"Rosie…"  
"Don't bother. It's over between me and him, and its over between me and you. I hate you."  
"Rose…"  
"I won't tell anyone," she spat through gritted teeth. She held back the urge to punch him.


End file.
